2019: Teen keeps pitching winners

Being born without arms has not stopped Ana Younker-Zimmerman of St. Paul. Her skill in adapted sports and her “think on the bright side” attitude are what caught the attention of the Minnesota Twins when they wanted an inspirational athlete to throw out the first pitch on April 26th. Instead of a baseball, she uses a whiffle ball, which she grasps and throws with her feet. Her one regret? She wishes she had gotten “more arc on the ball.”

Ana, 19, is accustomed to going after what she wants. She graduated from Humboldt High School with an almost 4.0 G.P.A. and played several adapted sports while she was there. Soccer was her favorite, but she bowled and played softball as well. She was honored last year by the St. Paul Area Athena Awards as one of 43 female athletes – and the only one to play adapted sports.